When AC Milan signed Yunus Musah, Tijjani Reijnders, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield last summer, many thought that the department would be see an immediately improvement. The upgrade, however, was not always seen, especially when it comes to the defensive transition against the big teams. Since the exit of Franck Kessié as a free agent in 2022, it seemed that Stefano Pioli has found difficulty to fill that void.
The Rossoneri have since changed their tactical setup and way of being on the pitch. Now, the gaffer relies on several players like Yacine Adli, Ismael Bennacer, in addition to the currently injured Tommaso Pobega and the other mentioned players, who do contribute with their own flair to the midfield tapestry. But, something is still missing.
Despite the weath of potential, there remains a conspicuous absence, an indispensable orchestrator who also acts as a sort of 'shield' in front of the defence.
The essence of Kessié's departure lingers like a bittersweet refrain in the hearts of Milanisti. His commanding presence, the ability to shield the defence while igniting attacks with speed and physicality, has left an empty spot in the ranks of Stefano Pioli's squad.
The Rossoneri's defence is struggling a lot to defend against most teams and has been conceding many goals, for example 8 goals have been scored in the last three matches, in fact.
Many advocate the idea that the lack of a physical midfielder with the ability to control play, chase forwards and attacking midfielders, recover balls, and win duels in the middle of the pitch significantly impacts defensive statistics and the number of goals conceded.
Milan's midfield requires not merely a replacement, but a transformational figure—a 'tessitore', as the Italians say, not only a strong defensive minded player, but also a weaver of intricate passes and tactical intelligence and discipline, someone who can knit together the disparate strands of the team's playing style and make the link between defence and offence.
The search for this elusive figure in the mercato should be among the priorities for Geoffrey Moncada and his colleagues at Casa Milan. It is a quest that demands the keen eye of the scouting department and also the directors.
There is still quite some time until the season's end. But, Milan must already start planning. It's true that a new centre-forward is needed, and perhaps also a new left-back as well as a right-back, but a strong quality defensive midfielder could be the catalyst for a change, and the much-awaited upgrade that the team needs in order to be able to compete with the more physical and intense teams of Europe.
The goal of adding a new midfielder who has physical qualities but also technical ones, is not merely a matter of plugging a hole in the squad, it should be a matter of pursuing the missing piece in the team's puzzle, and as we know, Milan management made it clear that they would not enter the market just for the sake of buying players and to appease the appetite of the fans.
For now, however, AC Milan management, with the presence of the charasmatic Swedish personality, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, focuses on the Serie A and Europa League competitions.
There is full support to the team of Stefano Pioli who aims to climb the rankings of the league and also try to win the European trophy, even if the journey is difficult with the presence of the likes of Liverpool, who recently won the EFL cup against Chelsea, and Bayer Leverkusen who continue to be in red hot form with zero losses so far this season under the guidance of coach Xabi Alonso.
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My compliments to the author for this impeccable article and writing style.
I agree Milan must sign a midfielder and a striker
We never replaced Kessié in a proper way!!!
The fact is that Milan midfield lacks a strong defensive midfielder. This position either requires a player with exceptional interception ability, good ball protection skills, and a high success rate in short passes. Or, it needs an outstanding positional sense as an organizing core, with excellent positioning to act as a barrier in front of the defense, along with exceptional vision and passing ability to enhance the team’s efficiency when in possession of the ball. Currently, in the market, Monaco Fofana would be a good choice as his contract expires in 2025, which benefits Milan financial feasibility, and his playing style leans towards the first type mentioned, meeting the team’s needs.
The replacement for Giroud is also crucial; Milan needs a young, powerful forward capable of scoring at least 20 goals per season.
Comparatively, the reinforcement of the center-back position doesn’t seem urgent. Simic is a reliable prospect and can replace Kjaer next season, saving a considerable amount of money to be used to strengthen the midfield and forward positions, which are the areas in most dire need of improvement.